Installing solar panels, battery storage or EV charging does not always require a large upfront investment. Depending on your business, location and project, support may be available through grants, interest-free loans, commercial finance, leasing or fully funded energy agreements.
Grant funding and Loans
There is no single nationwide grant available to every Scottish business specifically for commercial solar or battery storage. However, opportunities regularly appear through local authorities, enterprise agencies, agricultural and marine programmes, rural initiatives, EV charging funds and wider decarbonisation schemes.
Local and sector-specific funds can open and close quickly, so businesses should explore support before ordering equipment or starting work.
Gensource can help identify suitable funding opportunities and develop the technical design, costs and savings needed to support an application.
Industry-specific support
Agricultural, marine, tourism and other rural businesses may have access to specialist funding linked to sustainability, efficiency or decarbonisation . Solar, batteries and EV charging may qualify when they form part of a wider eligible project.
Gensource can assess your proposal against current funding criteria and help develop a clear technical and commercial project.
Workplace EV charging
The Workplace Charging Scheme supports eligible organisations with EV chargepoint installation costs. For qualifying installations completed from 1 April 2026, it offers up to 75% of purchase and installation costs, capped at £500 per socket and 40 sockets across an applicant’s sites. The published scheme runs until 31 March 2027.
EV charging can also be combined with solar and battery storage to make better use of electricity generated on site.
Gensource can assess your electrical capacity and charging requirements, then design and install a scalable workplace charging solution.
Rural and Island Infrastructure Fund
The Rural and Island Infrastructure Fund supports publicly accessible EV charging in eligible rural and island locations. It can support standalone public chargepoints or charging integrated with battery storage and solar PV.
Innovative integrated projects may qualify for funding of up to £300,000, subject to location, eligibility and technical requirements.
Gensource can identify suitable sites and develop the complete solar, battery, charging and Charge Point Operator solution.
Case study: Archerfield Walled Garden
Gensource designed and installed a 90 kW rooftop solar PV system at Archerfield Walled Garden. The system delivers:
- More than £12,000 in annual savings
- An estimated four-year payback
- Approximately 13,000 kg of CO₂e avoided each year
Gensource later identified an opportunity through the Rural and Island Infrastructure Fund, leading to two fully funded rapid EV chargers becoming available on the public charging network.
Together, the projects have supported Archerfield’s net-zero transition, improved customer experience, increased footfall and created a new revenue stream.
The project shows how Gensource continues to support clients after installation by identifying funding and developing the next stage of their energy transition.
Traditional business finance
Where grant support is unavailable, conventional finance can still produce a strong return. Suitable solar and battery projects can achieve payback periods of around four years. If annual savings exceed repayments, the business may improve its cash position from the outset while reducing exposure to future electricity prices.
Gensource can model costs, energy savings, payback and cash flow to establish whether finance makes commercial sense.
Leasing
Leasing lets a business install solar, battery storage or EV charging without buying the equipment upfront. Where savings exceed repayments, the business can reduce monthly costs while preserving capital. Depending on the agreement, ownership can transfer at the end of the lease.
Gensource can develop the project and work with funding partners to structure a lease around the expected energy savings.
Fully funded Power Purchase Agreements
With a Power Purchase Agreement, or PPA, your business does not pay for the solar installation upfront.
A funding partner pays for and owns the solar system, while your business buys the electricity it generates at an agreed price. This allows you to benefit from cheaper, cleaner energy without purchasing the equipment yourself.
Gensource can assess your site and work with our funding partners to develop a fully funded solar solution.
Start with your Goals
Every business is different, so the right place to start is with what you want to achieve. That might be reducing energy bills, lowering carbon emissions, supporting an electric fleet, improving customer facilities or protecting your business from future energy price increases.
Gensource starts by understanding your goals. We then help you build a practical sustainability roadmap, identify the best opportunities and explore the grants, finance or fully funded options available along the way.
Want to understand the best route for your business? Speak to Gensource about a free consultation, where we will help map out the opportunities available to meet your energy and sustainability goals.
